Alternatives to Powerpoint for work presentations

by Startacus Admin

Some people really really love Powerpoint. It is their trusty comfort blanket when the company presentation, meeting, or pitch comes a-calling. Powerpoint is afterall the daddy of presentation tools. However it was not until recently when I started testing a few other Presentation tools that my own interest in Powerpoint waned slightly. Most of us probably use Powerpoint for presentations because it is the first software that seems to be offered up to us both at school, university and then work and also because it always seems to be available to us all on each and every computer or laptop we use. However, what if you’d like something with a little more razzmatazz? I had a little look at some of the other options that are on the market:

No presentation
Firstly, I thought it best to look at the alternative argument. After all, aren’t bullet point presentations and pie chart graphics all a little old school? If you have the gumption and the ability to do it - why not try speaking freestyle, without a big white screen and the backup of your key main points? Using graphics and flashing text may all seem well and good, however if you have the power and ability to present well, perhaps it is time to let the content do the talking! There is also something a little 1990’s about the whole thing don’t you think and sometimes all that flash can take the focus off you.

Powtoons
We signed up to Powtoons just a few months ago, whilst it was in BETA invite mode only. Thankfully we were able to give the online platform a good ol’ play around before they introduced the premium model and reduced the functionality of the free version. I liked it lots. It’s great because it really brings 1st class animation and cartoon-esque styling to the mainstream in a simple and idiot proof way and thereby beats Powerpoint every time in terms of creativity and effectiveness. However my main concern would be that in a bog standard presentation, where figures, facts and bullet points are there to compliment your own talking, Powtoons may be just a little too clever for its’ own good.

Google presentation
Google hey! Not just the trusty search engine - Google seems to be taking over the whole world. It also seems to be doing a pretty good job at offering a reliable alternative to Powerpoint as well with the Google presentation tool that can be found on Google Drive along side the other MS alternatives for documents and spreadsheets and the like. It’s good, but pretty simple and does a good job as acting an alternative to Powerpoint, but with much of the same functionality. If your computer or laptop doesn’t come with free MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc - this is an alternative that means that you don’t need to go buying unnecessary software.

Prezi
I only came across Prezi recently and was amazed that whilst it has only been around for the last few years, I had not heard of it sooner. Prezi offers you the chance to create a visual journey or map that you can take your listeners on. The graphics and interactivity are great and it really feels that you are using and playing around with a software that is of the ‘moment’ as opposed to a software created and updated over the last 20 years. More professional than Powtoons, but potentially less fun, Prezi comes across as a slick alternative to Powerpoint and is certainly one to use in the future if you haven’t already tried it.

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Published on: 20th November 2012